BROWN COUNTY (NBC 26) — Some of you may be staying home as the first, big winter storm of the season moves through the Green Bay area.
But, if you are heading out on the roads over the next few days, you should have important items ready to go in your car.
"I think the most important thing is to always keep an ice scraper," Kyle Kaminski said. "That's what I usually have with me."
For others, it may be time to grab more cold weather gear.
"Extra jackets, extra clothes in case I break down," Logan Wolf said.
Those items are great to have.
But hardware store experts recommend having plenty of backups, just in case something happens.
Perhaps first and foremost, have a tank of gas.
"You never know what's going to happen if your car goes off the road," Martin Hardware & Rental owner Katy Martin said. "If the car can stay running the longer, the better chance you have to stay warm during the cold."
Martin says if your car weighs less than heavier vehicles, it helps to have some sand or kitty litter.
"That helps keep your car and give it a little more traction," Martin said.
Don't forget about windshield wiper fluid, a shovel, a flashlight, a bag of salt, a blanket, and some bottles of water.
If you're staying at home, you might have to shovel your driveway.
But you can do so with an electric shovel.
Kimps ACE Hardware sells them.
"They're going to be easy on you physically," Dave Kazmierczak of Kimps ACE Hardware said. "They're relatively light. They weigh somewhere around 10-12 pounds."
"They are gaining in popularity because they do not scratch the stone or the wood because it's a plastic paddle."
It's all about getting ready for what can be unpredictable weather.
"If there's ever ice involved, then I don't know how prepared you can really be," Kaminski said.
One more important item you should keep in your car: jumper cables. If your car battery dies, you hopefully have a way to restart your car and get back on the road.
